2024 Berlin Marathon: Ethiopia's Milkesa Mengesha and Tigist Ketema win men's and women's titles
Milkesa Mengesha from Ethiopia claimed victory in the 50th Berlin Marathon on Sunday, September 29, finishing with a time of 2:03.17.
The last kilometer of the challenging 42.2km race turned into a tight competition between Cybrian Kotut from Kenya and Mengesha.
Mengesha and Kotut ran closely together as they approached the final stretch, barely an inch apart. As they went under the Brandenburg Gate, Mengesha picked up speed and surged ahead, ultimately finishing in first place. Kotut crossed the finish line with a time of 2:03.22, while Ethiopia's Haymanot Alew secured the third spot with a time of 2:03.31.
The men's elite race began with an impressive speed as around 20 competitors formed the leading group, featuring the frontrunner Tadese Takele, who was favored to win.
Takele positioned himself at the starting line, proudly holding the fastest personal record among all competitors, with a time of 2:03:24 that he achieved in last year's race, where he secured a third-place finish.
The leading pack, reduced to around 10 runners, reached the halfway point in a time of 60:57.
The pacemakers pulled away not long after the 25km mark, with former world half marathon record-holder Kibiwott Kandie taking the lead and creating a slight gap between the runners. His push resulted in the group of eight men achieving the quickest time split of the race up to that point.
The initial speed didn't last long as they significantly slowed down as they approached the last quarter of the race, creating an exciting tactical showdown.
As the race drew to a close, the group dwindled to five, with none of the frontrunners revealing their strategies.
Takele fell behind with four kilometers remaining, leaving Kotut, Kiprop, Mengesha, and Alew to compete for the title. A kilometer later, Alew lost ground, and then Kiprop dropped back with one kilometer left.
Tigist Ketema of Ethiopia joyfully marks her victory in the women's elite race held in Berlin.
In the women's competition, Tigist Ketema was leading the way on her own, while her fellow countrywoman Azmeru Gebru stayed close behind her during the initial kilometers of the event.
Ketemu's speed was overwhelming for Gebru, allowing her to increase her lead to 12 seconds by the time she reached the 21km mark, finishing with a time of 67:53.
At just 26 years old, Ketema made an impressive entrance in her debut marathon, completing it in 2:16:07 and establishing a significant lead that proved tough to overcome. She maintained her solo pace throughout the race without any competition from the others, finishing with a time of 2:16:42, marking it as the third fastest winning time ever recorded in this event.
In an impressive display, Mestawot Fikir secured second place with a time of 2:18:48, while Bosena Mulatie took third with a finish time of 2:19:00, rounding out an all-Ethiopian podium.
29 - 29 September
Sports | BMW Berlin Marathon 2024 - Germany
